Bananas

Circa June 2017 at Hort Park.

Basically, "I love this gigantic dried leaf that makes the flowers look like vanilla desserts!" and "I've gone bananas!".

The Moment They were Kitties

It has been a year since I posted. I am beginning to realise the fast passage of time and how it goes by without us realising. We try hard to grab onto moments, but all they do is to pass us by. In the meanwhile, we are transformed by moments we don't even remember. Here is a moment. The moment Joquim and Jewel grew fake ears and became cute cats. They have been watching this Miraculous Ladybug cartoon. One character is Cat Noir, their inspiration for being kitties. The moment after this moment is the moment we head to the Marsiling Hawker Centre, which is followed by the moment we walk around trying to ensure we eat the best food possible, followed by the moment we eat and realised we still did not get the best food possible. Just see how tedious it is to record moments.

A Highlighter

A few days ago, Joquim called me during her recess period. She told me she had 50 cents only and used some of it on a highlighter.

I was annoyed and reminded her that she should have prioritised and used the money for food, instead of buying a highlighter and calling me. She mumbled that the highlighter was nice and cheap.

Today, she gave me the highlighter with this note. She did prioritise afterall, in her own way.

#happymothersday

Labelled for Life

Most times, we hate being labelled. Worse still, if we are labelled for life. But there are times when being labelled can be the greatest thing ever! Especially, if you are labelled as someone loved by Jesus. Actually all of us have that label, but how many of us are aware of it… Are you aware that Jesus loves you?

We often forget the most obvious things. This label on Treasure reminded me that she is loved and I am loved too. Hence, we should live our lives with that assurance in mind, for we are labelled for life (a life to live as living, purposeful beings, not as zombies, though I enjoy zombie movies/books)! 

And when we interact with our children, there can be times when we are frustrated or even angry. At the back of our minds, we must always remember that both we and them are deeply loved by our Saviour. Hopefully, we don't hurt them in our anger. Otherwise, when we wake from the storm of our anger, hopefully, we remember that both we and our kids are loved by Jesus. Yes, Jesus cares for our feelings, as much as he cares for our children's. 

When you are angry, it doesn't hurt to remember your children's cute faces. :)

Why You Like What You Like

It was a lazy Saturday morning. The best kind of day to sleep in and do nothing. Alas, I'm a mom. Duty calls.

Queenie wanted to skate scoot, and I wanted to eat breakfast. (If I can't sleep, at least let me eat?!). As with all self-declared good and kind moms, I reached a compromise with her. We would skate scoot to breakfast and skate scoot back!

When we were reaching home at the end of our skate scooting adventure (in which Queenie skate scoots ahead of me, then stops and wait for me to catch up and I try to walk as fast as I can, but the actual walking speed in reality does not quite correspond with what I had in mind.), I asked Queenie why she loved skate scooting so much.

Queenie: I don't know why I like skate scooting. I just love it.

Me: Is it because you can feel the wind blowing in your face? Is it because it feels like you are flying?

Queenie: Maybe. I think I really like jumping and turning on the skate scooter. I feel like I'm learning driving.

I really enjoyed that short conversation... I liked being able to understand what Queenie's thinking and what she enjoys. I think it's important to understand our children's motivations and their personalities. These make them special. I also enjoyed sort of helping her to think about why she likes what she likes. 

Flowery Khao Yai

Our second day at Khao Yai... It started out being promising. It threatened to disappoint. And then, it totally did not!

Our first stop was at the Hobbit House where we tried out all kinds of medieval costumes. It was fun for the girls and me, as we got to wear all kinds of dresses we would otherwise not have a chance to. The Hobbit House mimicked the setting of a hobbit village from Lord of the Rings. And it was as if we were transported to another time and place. If that's not what travelling is about, I don't know what is!

My favourite picture from the Hobbit House. It's a selfie. I am not very good at selfies. But this turned out well!

The rest of the day was dominated by lots of time on the road. It was scary to me at least, because it brought back memories of a previous Taiwan trip where we were on the road way too much. But thankfully, each highlight was worth the drive. The day threatened to disappoint due to the time on the road. But ultimately, it did not.

Our second stop was at the Jim Thompson Farm. Tis the season for flower blooming! And we were treated to fields of flowers of all colours and rows and rows of pumpkins. Gorgeous. The kids got the chance to do some paintwork on pottery items. And we had an authentic Thai meal at the canteen where we struggled to communicate with stall owners.

At Jim Thompson Farm: Flowers. But can you see more than just flowers? Sometimes when you look harder, you might be shocked by what you see.

Jim Thompson Farm: Firstly, that ain't my finger! Treasure took this picture for Queenie and me. Love it. Finger and all.

Pumpkin Face spotted at Jim Thompson Farm. 

When the weather's real hot and mom keeps telling you to pose for shots, you just gotta give an obliging smile. Life of a star. 

The next stop was A Cup of Love. This was a rather underwhelming place. We had to pay an entrance fee of about S$4 to see and hear a couple of stinky sheep bleating away. Okay. I'm not a sheep fan. I think they are greedy, smelly, dirty and noisy. But, the sheep had two fans in Treasure and Queenie, who found scrap leaves to feed them. Sheep, being rather dull and desperate for all manner of edible stuff, gobbled down the scraps of course. But we did invest in one bottle of milk that one overly greedy pig - I mean sheep - gulped down before I could finish saying "you greedy, smelly thing!"

Ok. I really should not bully sheep when they are inept in defending themselves. I acknowledge that. But I will not take back my words.

Let's move on, shall we? (And yes, NO PICS OF SHEEP. Hoobaahhh.)

Ah yes.. The last stop was amazing. A non-descript sunflower field at Pak Chong (as the famed Saraburi Sunflower Field is way too far away). It was evening time and the dim sun light only made the sunflowers appear to glow among the leaves. The field was opposite the Toscan Valley and "leaning tower of Pisa". It sure didn't look like we were in Thailand.

That last stop did it for us. Beautiful. And for the rest of our days in Khao Yai, the town would prove again and again why it's worth traveling to.

Sunflower Field at Pak Chong: So cute laaa... *meltz*

Khao Yai. Ai Yai Yai.

Day 1 at Khao Yai.

I don't know anyone who has been to Khao Yai. And all me and young man know about Khao Yai are what we see online.

We started getting curious about the place after seeing websites featuring interesting theme resorts and attractions. From there, we explored more and finally settled on booking a 4-night stay at a quaint home stay called Kanghanrak Theme House. We chose this because of the excellent reviews it received online, as well as the cute pictures of its wind mill-themed compound.

At Changi Airport: Snorlax reminding us to snore and relax during our holiday.

On day one, Top, who is the son-in-law of the owners, Mr and Mrs Pod received us at the airport. (Top has a 2-yr-old son named Posh. I am not making their names up. They indeed have such funky names.)

That's Top.

Top is a warm and happy person. He clearly loves kids and was generous in supplying our girls with snacks. He's a little on the chubby side and looks a little like a giant toddler. I mean it in a good way. One can sense he's good natured, free spirited and adorable - his looks are befitting of his personality.

Oh yes. Back to Khao Yai.

Kanghanrak is rather.. Erm... More on the raw and homely sort of place. No luxurious sort of hotel feel. But it's charming in its own way. Quaint and colourful. Treasure and Queenie loved the simple swing in the compound.

The swing at Kanghanrak was the main attraction for the kids. I like the little touches Mrs Pod put in, like the cute sheep and adorable figurines. 

I lived in a windmill, sort of. I ate breakfast while sitting on strawberries. Now, how many people can say that!

A little corner in our room at Kanghanrak. It was full of bright and happy colours. 

We travelled over 2 hours from the airport. We went for dinner at this amazing castle-themed restaurant called Midwinter Green. In the evening, the area is lit up by warm glowing candles. There is ample space within and outside the restaurant, giving the place a very grand and elegant atmosphere. Food was good for the price. But it was the castle look and feel that took our breath away.

After that we wanted to go to the night market, but Mrs Pod claimed the night market was closed. Night market, closed at 7 pm? NIGHT market. Very strange. But we did not want to question our host's sense of logic from day one. However, this funny episode left us a mild feeling of mistrust towards her.

Instead, we went to Mrs Pod's second home stay up in the mountains. She drove us up, but when we got into the car to come back down, the car alarm wouldn't go off. So there we were. The conclusion of day one, as we spiralled down a mountain in a sounding car to the curious eyes of mountain dwellers who only wish for a quiet life.

Eating outdoors, but not an ounce of sweat! The weather at Khao Yai is gorgeous. So cool and breezy. Looking at the environment and weather, it totally did not feel like Thailand... More like Europe. 

Yup, this ain't Europe.

A lovely garden setting in front of the restaurant. And Queenie smiling enthusiastically. 

"Hey, I'm cool and I know it". I guess that's what the young man and Queenie are trying to say.